My perspective: Violence against Woman in Nepal

I love to talk about UDHR, 1948 because it recognizes me as a human being. I love to read CEDAW, 1979 because it commits to eliminate all forms of discrimination against me. I love to mention Article 21 of Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063 because it protects my rights as the state’s responsibility. I love all laws in favor of women because they are in favor me. I am a woman, most essentially 50% of the world’s population and I have all those undeniable rights including-

The right to life; The right to equality; The right to liberty and security; The right to equal protection under the law; The right to be free from all forms of discrimination; The right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health;  he right to just and favorable conditions of work; The right not to be subjected to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

I wonder- do my rights really exist? If yes, then why I am a representative of South Asian women where every 1 out of 2 women is being victim of the violence. May be they exist but only on papers. That’s why there is violence against women (VAW).

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women defines "violence against women" as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

In the context of Nepal, VAW is an issue need to be addressed properly. Because various reports has shown more than 66% of married women have been the subject of domestic violence in Nepal and the incidents of gender based violence is in increasing state. It is true that inequality and discrimination against women has lead to violence. If women were treated equally in Nepal, the face of Nepal would be different. But in Nepal women are treated as second class citizens and they are discriminated in all the stages of life- from prenatal to old age. In Nepal, there is vast difference between male and female’s role in every aspect of life. Difference in reproductive, productive, community, managing and political role has caused VAW.

Gender stereotype and other various social norms, culture and tradition discriminate male and female. The negative discrimination encouraged VAW. Due to inequality, inadequate opportunity and less participation of women in decision making, women are far behind from the main stream.

Some facts related to women of Nepal.

More than half of population of Nepal is women and the majority of women are illiterate.

Nepalese women are not conscious about their own rights.

Nepalese women especially village women and girl children are bearing a disproportionate burden of productive work that is usually categorized as unpaid labour.

Gender based violence is high in Nepal. It is clear that gender based violence leads to devastating and long term mental and physical consequences, sometimes leading to death and disability among women and girl. It is violence to basic human right to safety, securities and life without discrimination. According to The World Health Organization’s report, at least one in five women has been physically or sexually abused by a man at some time in her life and women are more at risk from their husbands, fathers , neighbours or colleagues than they are from strangers. So, it is a time to recognize violence especially domestic violence as a public concern rather than merely a private family. VAW has serious social, economic and health consequences. It not only affects women as individuals, but also their families including children, their entire communities, economic conditions and overall development. It is also a threat to future generations as women are virtually single handedly responsible for raising future generation. Some facts related to VAW

(a) VAW is a human right issue. Because women being a human have basic human rights such as life, liberty and security to life without discrimination. Gender based violence is a crime and considered as the worst form of violation of human rights. Despite of this fact, shamefully it is gaining momentum with impunity instead of being eliminated in Nepal.

(b) VAW is a social issue. Because it has affected social life of women. The social reformation is not possible without women’s participation.

(c) VAW is a public health issue. Because it affects women’s physical and mental health, their sexual and reproductive health, self-esteem and ability to work and make decisions about their fertility. The World Bank Development Report, 1993 gave an estimate of 9.5 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYS) lost i.e. loss of productive life, world wide due to rape and domestic violence.

(d) VAW is an economic issue. It has a serious impact on the economy within the household as well as the nation. Direct costs of VAW are loss of income and productivity, health care and housing costs and costs of social services. And indirect costs are impact on child’s well being, female and child mortality, inter-generational social and psychological costs.

(e) VAW is a development issue. Because it is an obstacle to the alleviation of poverty as it impedes equitable distribution of resources. It also results in high direct costs for law enforcement and judicial systems, as expansion of facilities is required and litigation cost is quite high. It also obstructs participation.

As women’s participation in development program and planning is a central objective, this is a significant concern relevant to both research and intervention activities. And it contradicts the goals of development. The very fact that violence against women exists and is rising over the years contradicts the goals of development. Violence prevents women from accessing or experiencing the benefits of development by restricting their ability to move or act freely. In Nepal, there is a culture of silence as far as VAW is concerned. In patriarchal societies such as ours, women are socialized into being silent about their experiences of violence. Traditional norms teach them to accept, tolerate and even rationalize violence. In this light, the solution to addressing VAW is not simple. To end VAW, what should be done? Women should be educated or empowered or there should be reservation for women.

Let’s see the world and think rationally- do our ideas really work to end VAW or are we just talking superficially? Anyway, we can end VAW. It’s a battle still remained to win.

Posted on : 2009-04-01 12:41:00

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